Editorial

SGLG – performance push

A number of local government units, 28 of them, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are passers for the 2019 “Seal of Good Local Governance” Award in the backdrop of the newness of the geo-political region. The passers are higher by five compared to last year.  Anyhow, these LGU passers already existed during the administration of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Those barangays in North Cotabato that opted to join the BARMM are eyed to be clustered as one municipality.

It is quite a feat compared to Region XII or Soccksargen having five and Region XI or Davao region with nine. The highest in the list is Region I with 65 LGUs. 

Initiated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the SGLG is an award, incentive, honor, and recognition-based program for all LGUs.

The award criteria are weighted on: financial administration; disaster preparedness; social protection; peace and order; business-friendliness and competitiveness; environmental protection; and tourism, culture, and the arts. Aware of these weights, LGUs, especially the local chief executives, would be conscious and sensitive of these indicators for them to excel in performance and push support agencies to do their share in administrative performance.

Come to think of it… Failing to be in the list of SGLG passers may create a stigma on the politicians for having failed in government or public  performance and may lose popularity in votes come the next election. Every mayor would want his town or city to be in the SGLG list of passers to achieve the plus factor(s), other than the cash award.

Do local chief executives have to push hard just to beget the award? Such honor is an incentive to make LGUs perform very well or initiate improvements or innovative changes for the sake of public service whose end-beneficiaries are the constituencies. It is the duty of every administration to push harder in delivering the services at its best opr to their heights if at all feasible. The bottom line is service for the people for which governments, the arm of the political institution, are founded. It’s likened to academics when students are given honors and recognition for achieving very high grades and then enjoy the “laude” benefits such as civil service eligibilities and assured of employment status.

Come now the LGUs to sustain the award- status, hence, further pushing harder their performance than lose the prestige. And this is worthy effort and service for the people. For the administrators, it would be a plus star, a fame. For what it is worth, some LGUs in the BARMM have already entered the “Hall of Famer” for being an awardee of the SGLG for three consecutive years. Oh, how much I would want this honor.

Our congratulations to the SGLG passers. Well done, indeed.